Hungarian dances from the Transylvanian village of Ördöngösfüzes will be featured in the concert. Ethnic Dance Theatre was awarded a grant from the Hungary Initiatives Foundation in support of the presentation of this choreography by Gyula Bécsi of the Lajtha László Dance Ensemble of Eger, Hungary. Members of the Minnesota Hungarians will join the dancers on-stage as villagers adding to the merriment with singing and shouting!

EDT takes audiences to lands shrouded in mountain mists and fog, visiting cultures from remote regions that remain largely untouched by modern trends. Cultures presented on stage will include the Carpatho-Rusyn people of eastern Slovakia and western Ukraine, a Jewish couple from northeastern Hungary, and the Saxons of Transylvania. The picture would not be complete without a visit to the Ukrainians of Bukovina, the Hungarians of central Transylvania, the Romanians of Oas, the Polish highlanders of Podhale, and the Vlach people living along the Homolje range of the Carpathians in eastern Serbia. Visual imagery and narrative context will preface each work.

The Ethnic Dance Theatre Orchestra will provide live music and will be featured in select performances throughout the concert. Colleen Bertsch, a Ph.D. student in Ethnomusicology at the University of Minnesota, directs this season’s ensemble of musicians. Colleen recently returned from a nine-month research trip to Romania where she studied the string-based bands of Transylvania and their performance idioms. Joining the musicians will be acclaimed vocalist and guest artist Natalie Nowytski.

In addition to the two-act concert, a number of supplementary events will be offered throughout the weekend. Friday offers a Q & A with artistic director Donald LaCourse and members of the cast. On Saturday, a master class will be offered at no cost to ticket holders for any of the weekend’s performances. This class will take place in the dance studio adjacent to the EM Pearson Theatre lobby at 6 pm on Saturday. On Sunday, audiences willbe invited to join the cast on stage to dance to the EDT Orchestra. *Land of Legends *is funded in part by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. Additional funding is provided by the Hungary Initiatives Foundation, Target Foundation, Uponor Corporation, and individual donors.